Browsing by Author "Kankam, Keren Sarpomaa"

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    Challenges of Screening and Early Detection of Hearing Impairment among Children in some selected hospitals in Kumasi Metropolis
    (Scholars Middle East Publishers, 2017-12-30) Kankam, Keren Sarpomaa; Owusu, Isaac; Dogbe, Joslin Alexei; Opoku, Vincent Karikari
    Hearing plays a key role in learning to talk. Early screening of newborns for hearing impairment is essential as treatment is most successful when identified early. The study assessed the challenges associated with screening and early detection of hearing impairment among children in the Kumasi metropolis and focused on the services available for screening of hearing impairment among children and the effects of the challenges of screening and early detection of hearing impairment. The study employed a qualitative approach. Purposive and convenience sampling were used to select 15 participants. An interview guide was adopted to capture the responses of participants on voice recorder. Thematic content analysis was used to analyse themes generated from the data according to the objectives. The study found that, hearing screening services for children included OAEs, pure tone testing, behavioral assessment and school outreach programs but health personnel are faced with challenges in undertaking these services. Challenges such as lack of enough funds, insufficient tools and equipment, few numbers of health personnel and low patronage of hearing screening services limited health personnel‟s ability to provide effective hearing screening services to children. The study therefore recommends that the ministry of health constructs audiology units in every region in Ghana and supply the units with the tools and equipment needed for work. The study further recommends that, the ministry of health in collaboration with ministry of education should assist in training more audiologists and make school screening programs a long term national policy.